Gearing for washing-machines.



A. VAN WORMER. GEARING POR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 1908.

939,645..v .Patented N0v.9,19o9.

l l l UWE/vm@ UNITED STAT-Es *PATENT OFFICE.

ABBA VAN WOB/MER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HORTON MANUFAC-'.'LUlllil'fi-y COMPANY, 0F FORSI.` WAYNE, INDIANA.

GEARING FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may oomzernl Be it known that I, Anna VAN VORMER acltlzen of the United States, residing at Fort Wayne, in the county ofAlle n, in the appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in gearing for washing machines, ofthe type in which acontinuous motion of the flywheel in one direction.will produce an alternating rotary motion of the agitator shaft.

It is well-known thatin'washmg machines of the type where energy isstored up in a fly-wheel, actua-ted by speed increasing gearing, thereare three known ways of mountmg the fly-wheel mechanism, one is upon thetop of the tub, in which construction it is generally necessary for theoperator to lift the weight of such su-rmounted mechanism inopening-.and closing the lid; another'way is to Suspend such mechanismfrom the bottom of the tub and connect it tothe agitator actuating O'earby means of a series of levers; still anot 1er way is to mount theflywheel mechanism upon the side of the tub, and provide it vwith adetachable connection with the driving shaft, whereby the tub lid can beraised or lowered at pleasure without disturbing the y-wheel mechanism.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide an improvedgearing for washin machines of the type specified adapte to be compactlymounted upon the side of the tub, and having such a geared connectionwith the driving shaft that the tub lid can be raised and lowered atpleasure to remove or replace the agitator mechanism, without stoppingthey-wheel mechanlsm, and havin van lmproved means for securing thedetac able'connection between 'the power. shaft and the actuating geararings on the tub lid, andV adapted -to'impart -to a common form ofagitator shaft an alternating rotary motion; a fly- `'wheelrotatablymounted on the side ofthe'- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 13, 1908. Serial No. 410,494.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

tub in right angular relationf to the power shaft, and provided witha'gear hub; a nvel form `-of driving connection between the iy-wheelandthe power-shaft, whereby a continuousirotation of the y-wheel willimpart an alternate rotary motion to the power shaft; and an ,adjustablehand lever for actuatin the said driving connection.

The principal novel features of my invention reside `in the constructionofthe flywheel and its driving connections with the power-shaft;y and inthe means for detachably securing the power shaft in gear with itsactuating means, to admit of its being swung rearwardlyvwith the lid.

Similar reference4 numerals indicate like arts in the several views ofthe drawings 1n whichi I Figure 1 is a. side elevation of a washingmachine having my invention mounted thereon, both the tub and mechanismbeing partly broken away, the operating handle and the pitman beingshown in dotted outline, and the lid with its sui-mounted power shaftand pendent agitator being also shown in dotted. outline. Fig. 2 is an'enlarged detail of the means for firmly securing the hinged lid andsurmounted power-shaft in their normal position. Fig. 3 is a plan viewofFig. l' partly broken away to show the Ameshingconnection between thepower shaft and the agitator shaft, and showing the relation betweenthese shafts and the actuating means. The tub 1 of any properconstruction has suitable supporting legs 2 braced by propercross-pieces 3, an outlet opening 4 in the side thereof, a pair ofdiametric handles 5, a detachablewringer rack' of any properconstruction, -and a hinged lid 7 having a handle 8, and provided with avertical opening in which the upper en d of the agitator shaft isloosely mounted.

' On the lid 7 is rigidly fxedfa common form of bracket 9 having thebearings 10 and 11 in which the `horizontal power shaft' 12 lisrotatably mounted. This shaft is provided u on its inner end with a Xedbevel gear w eel 13 adapted for a meshing engagement with a Xed pinion14 on the upper end-of the agitator shaft 15 lwhich has -a bearing inthe 'adjacent end of the bracket 9 in the usual manner. These two meshingears land 14 are provided with is fixed the upright rigidly tachablymounted oliv the lid 7 Fig. 3. The other end of the power shaft hasta;fixed end with a fixed pin orstud22 on which is i rotatably mounted agear wheel 23`provided with an eccentric 24 to which thelower end of thepitman-25 is pivotally mounted.

On a stud-shaft 26 xed inthe standard 19 at a proper distance above thestud 22is rotatably mounted the balance-wheel 27 having a novel form ofbearing hereafter d escribed, and provided with an inward extensionofthe hub whose perimeter has a series of gear teeth'28 adapted for ameshing engagement withthe gear-wheel 23, as

' an extended laterally shown' in Fig. 1.

On a third stud 29 fixed inthe standardv 19 directly above the stud 26is rotatably mounted the sector wheel or gear 30 having aperturedbifurcated lug 31 in Whichthe upper end of the pitlThis leverl 33 has aman 25 is pivotally mounted, and provided uponits other end with lateralslot 32 for the purposeabout to be described.

yOn the'outer end of the stud 29 and immediately adjacent to the gear30is pivotally mounted the forward curvedv end Aof the.

lever 33 having a properxed handle "34. bolt 35v extending through theslot 32, and adapted to rigidly x the said lever in any desired verticaladjustment by tightenin up such bolt.

On the outer face o the upper end of the standard is pivotally mountedthe arm 36 whose upper laterally bent end normally overhangs a laterallug 37 on the adjacent end of the bracket 9,- and has a verticalscrew-threaded,perforation in which is mounted al thumb-screw 38 bywhich itis rigidly secured in position, as shown in Fig 2, for thepurpose hereafter described.

The bearing for the fly-wheel, as shown in Fig. 3, consists of a seriesof urollers 39 of proper dimensions compactly arranged about theperiphery of thestud-shaft 26; a

`sleeve 40 snugly inclosing the shaft and rollers; 'and an annular'plate41 adapted to fit over the shaft against the outer ends of the rollersof the sleeve to prevent any derangement thereof in use. This annularplate in turn is heldin place by a proper pin, not shown. By thisconstruction the liy-wheel can be removed or replaced at pleasurewithbearing. v

-- The operation and manner of employing short 'end independently meansfor operatively connecting the lever out the least tendency to derangethe roller my inventionthus described is obvious and briefly stated isas follows: The tub lid betion by means of fthe pivoted'arm 36 and the7o 'ing closed and firmly secured ing-such, posithumb-screw 38, which at'the samey time rigidly secures the lpower-shaft inl its normal positionfor the meshing engagement of the pinion 17 with the sector-gear 30,theI operator drives the power-shaft first vin one direcand then inanother through the meshing connection of the sector-gear with theVpinion 17 by the up and down operation of the handle 34, which therebyin turn correspondingly imparts an alternating rotary motion to theagitator shaft. This rocking movement of the' sectorgear correspondinglyrotates, the large 'gear wheel 23 through the medium of the pitman 25,VAwhich in turn actuates the fly-Wheel by a multiplied speed through theengagement of. the wheel 23 with the .hubvgear 28;' lThe energy of thehand-lever in' thus transferred to and stored up in the iiy-wheel,directly from the handleverindependently of the power-shaft.

' -When access to the interior of the tub is desired' the "oper'atorWithout stopping the machine, simply loosens the thumb-screw 38 andswings the arm 36 outward clear of the lug 37 afterwhich he can readilylift the lid v 7 upward by means of the handle 8, and swing itback tothe position shown in dotted outlines in terior of the tub entirelyclear of allv mechanism. l The operator Pcan as readily replace the lidWith its surmounted mechanism withfout stopping the machine, afterwhichit is rigidly secured in normal position by. means of the arm 36 and thethumb-screw 38; To insure one leg thereof should be placed directlybelow the standard 19, as shownj in Fig. 1, and for convenience thelifting handles 5 should be arranged in diametric relation` on a line atright-.angles to the .power shaft.

' Having thus described my invention and the manner of employing thesame what I desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a washing reciprocal .vertica shaft; a rotary reciprocalhorizontal shaft' at right angles thereto; means for operativelyconnecting said shafts; anoperating lever fulcrumed at its forward ofthe horizontal shaft;

Fig. 1, thereby leaving the inv machine gearing a rotary ioo withthehorizontal shaft. consisting-of a' its upper end to the sector gear,and atits lower end tothe balance wheel.

2. The combination with` a rotary reciprocal vertical shaft, a. rotaryreciprocal hori- -zontal shaft at right angles thereto, means foroperatively connectin said shafts, 'of a lever fulcrumed at its fgpendent of said horizontal shaft, a sector gear adjustably mounted onthe forward end of said lever, a fixed pinion. on the horizontal shaftwhose undermost segment is engaged by the sector gear, a balance wheelwhosey axis is below and parallel to said horizontal shaft, and meansincluding a pitman for imparting motion from said sector to said wheel.

3. rlfhe combination with a rotary recipro- 'cal vertical shaft, arotary reciprocal horizontal shaft arranged at right angles thereto,4means for operatively connecting said shafts, of a lever fulcrumed atits forward end independent of said horizontal shaft, a

sector gear adjustably mounted on the forward end of said lever. abalance wheel' whose axis is below and parallel to said horizontalshaft, a pitnian whose upper end is pivotally connected `to said sectorand whose` lower end is pivotally connected to the bal- Aance wheel,.and ay continuously revoluble gear on the adjacent end of thehorizontal shaft in mesh with the said sector.

el. The combination with a rotary reciprocal vertical shaft, a rotaryreciprocal hori-l zontal shaft at right angles thereto, means Y mountedon the adjacent ends of said shafts for operatively connecting the sameand a pinion on the opposite end of said horizontal shaft, of a leverfulcrumed'at its forward end independent of said horizontal shaft, a

balance wheel whose axis is below said lever and'parallel to saidhorizontal shaft, a secorward end indetor-gear carriedby said lever andengaging the undermost 'segment of said pinion, a gear indirectlyactuated by said lever for operating. said wheel; and a pitman whoseupper end is pivotally 'connected to the sectorgear, and whose lower endis pivotally connected to the balance wheel.

5.. The combination withy a rotary recipr0.

cal vertical shaft, a rotaryA reciprocal horizontal shaft at rightangles thereto, means for operatively connecting said shafts, and apinion on the outer end of said horizontal shaft, of a lever fulcrum'edat its forward end whose faxis is parallel to 'said last mentionedshaft, a sector-gear carried thereby.

pinion, a` balance wheel and means including a pitinan. for impartingmotion from said lever to said wheel, and means for rigidly securing thehorizontal shaft and its support in their normal relation.

Signed by me at Fort ldlayne, Allen county, State of Indiana, this 11thday of `January, A. D. 1908.

ABBA VAN wonnen.

VVitn'es/ses AUGUSTA VIBERG, AUGUSTE SPIEGEL.

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